Low power field generation for magneto-optic fiber-based interferometric switches

Thumbnail Image
Date
2012-01-01
Authors
Pritchard, John
Mina, Mani
Weber, Robert
Kemmet, Sasha
Major Professor
Advisor
Committee Member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Authors
Person
Mina, Mani
Teaching Professor
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Is Version Of
Versions
Series
Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Abstract

A new fiber-based, magneto-optic switch is proposed with a novel approach for low power and efficient operation. The switch, with reasonable switching speed compared to competitive designs, operates at considerably reduced power levels, which makes it a practical deployable solution. The basic switch setup consists of a Faraday rotator in a Sagnac fiber-optic interferometer in which optical switching is controlled by an electronic driving circuit. The electronic system generates a magnetic field through the Faraday rotator by driving current through a specially designed two-coil system. The new coil system allows for sufficient field generation at low quiescent power levels while maintaining very short optical rise and fall times. The design and considerations as well as the effect of mutual inductance between the two coils and its influence on switching times are investigated. The optical system consists of a Sagnac interferometer with a Faraday rotator within the Sagnac loop. Appropriate phase shift for interference is achieved by the proposed field generating system designed for the magneto-optical element. The theory of operation, design, experimental results, and optical and electronic setup are presented and analyzed.

Comments

The following article appeared in Journal of Applied Physics 111 (2012): and may be found at doi:10.1063/1.3679391.

Description
Keywords
Citation
DOI
Copyright
Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2012
Collections